UK patent application no. GB 2322504 A discloses a tri-fold cellular telephone including a top housing portion, a center housing portion, and a bottom housing portion, where the portions are rotably coupled to each other via hinges. One portion includes a display, another includes a keypad, and still another includes a speaker and a battery. FIG. 8 in GB 2322504 A illustrates wires, carried through one of the hinges between the portions, for electrical interconnection of the foldable members of the cellular telephone. GB 2322504 is an illustrative example of a need for flexible connection lines between members in a cellular telephone. Other examples of elecronic devices needing this kind of flexible interconnections are video and digital cameras, lap-top computers, PDA:s, and calculators.
Japanese patent application no. JP 2002-111138 A discloses a flexible printed board with a pair of terminals provided at the ends of the board, and wirings between the terminals. The wirings are formed into two parts having an empty space between them and are provided with bending pleats such that the flexible printed board can be folded up along the bending pleats.